Alis In Wench Land
by orfos
Summary: A story of a young girl and her pathway to divine exellence... or is it?


**Alis In Wench Land ****  
**(Title place holder. I cant think of one yet.)

_Since adolescence Alis wondered why so many people take pleasure in humiliating others. Clearly the fact that some are sensitive to the suffering of others proves that the destructive urge to hurt is not an aspect found in everyone. She was one of those sensitive children. Growing up, she was the runt of the litter, the only girl, the only child she ever came in contact with who was unable to torment others for her own amusement; she couldn't torment others even in defense. Her family saw this as a weakness. She would cry every time her two older brothers beat on her. Her mother and father thought of her as a curse. "Alis, you're a disgrace to our family!" and "We never wanted a girl!" are the only things she had ever heard from them. She was always the hurt one, that is, until her 13th birthday._

**Chapter 1**

As the sun began to rise from its lengthy slumber, a blaze of crimson, orange, and hot pink blessed the sky, high above the woods. Alis woke in the mud among the cattle, shivering, looking for warmth in the frigid January air. She lay there nestled in the mud for no longer than half an hour before she was accompanied by footsteps. The frozen grass crunched beneath thick boots. The boots were of Alis' father. She attempted to hide among the cows, but objected by the sound of her father's deep, bold voice. "Wake up, child. We're leaving."

The husky man squinted at the rising sun, signaled her to follow, and then slowly made his way back to his house. Yes, It was His house. She hadn't been allowed inside for any reason other than severe weather. She felt a pit in her stomach grow as she neared the doorstep. The tall, buff man turned around, giving Alis a quick glance. "Clean up. We can't  
take you anywhere covered in mud. You won't be worth a single copper," he mumbled, clenching the door handle. Baffled as to what could be going on, the young girl made her way to the other side of the house where a silent pond stood. Early morning crows lingered on a near buy tree, chattering to each other while preening themselves. Alis slowly crawled into the pond until half of her body was submerged under the freezing liquid. She gazed into the diluted waters of the pond, scooping it up in her torn, cupped hands. Distorted reflections bounced off the ripples of the water as if laughing at her. Her mind started to wander as she washed away the dirt from her skin. "Water lives in such  
peace." she thought to herself. "So tranquil, so carefree." She slowly immersed herself completely into a whirlwind of thought, losing complete track of time.

"Hurry up! We can't leave without you, you stupid girl!" Arvel, Alis' oldest brother, yelled from the house. "Yeah! Hurry up you stupid girl!" exclaimed Cledwyn. Cledwyn was the youngest; He mimicked his brother as he threw pebbles at the withered girl, missing her every time. "I'm coming! I'm done now!" Alis exclaimed, brushing her wet auburn hair out  
of her face, and crawling on all fours out of the pond. The two boys ran closer to her, grabbing larger rocks. "Guess what! WE get to sale you today!" Cledwyn boasted proudly, holding his nose high in the air. "Yeah, so we're going to 'play' with you before you have to go! Don't worry! We'll have fun!" Arvel's menacing look drove Alis to fall backwards into the pond. As he neared the frightened girl, he rolled his sleeves, preparing to drown her. In the time it took for his hands to reach her neck, their father came walking up behind the boys and stopped them. "No sense in damaging what we're out to sell. Don't forget we're trying to get a few copper out of her! Harm her and she wont be worth it." He smiled at the two boys, messing with Cledwyn's dirty, sandy blonde hair before walking closer to Alis. In his other hand he had a patched up dress, made from old sacks of animal feed. "Put this on, we'll meet you on the wagon." were his final words to her. After dressing herself, Alis crawled into the back of the wagon among bags of animal feed they were also to sell. With one snap of her fathers' whip, the horses were off. Turning back to watch the only place she had known disappear, she found her mother standing in the doorway, glaring.

For an entire day they rode by horse and wagon towards the city, for they knew of a buyer. For entertainment on this journey, their father told stories he had learned as a child, while the younger boys eagerly listened. Late that evening they came to an old battered inn and pub. A man in his early 30's met the travelers outside. Pulling up beside him, Cledwyn and Arvel became excited, hoping the worst for the strawberry haired maidservant. "Ah, so she's the one, Sir?" the man questioned, running one hand through his thick dark hair. "Aye." her father responded, slipping off the wagon and into the deserted inn with this new strange man, Arvel and Cledwyn tagging along close behind. Alis secured their  
horse to a tree, remaining alone in the dark of the night until she was to be summoned.

Inside the inn, they talked business by the glow of the crackling fireplace. Each with a pint of mead, they stared at each other unsure of who was to begin. Tempting to break this sleek ice, the father proposed, "How much are you willing to pay for her? What of six coppers? We're talking business here." The inn owner nearly spilled his beverage on himself at such an absurd concept. "Six copper it is!" The sound of this rallied the two men into another round of incomprehensible chatter. "She doesn't come with the horse, you know! You would pay me six copper for that out there?" he repeated in disbelief, nearly knocking over his chair as he leaped in excitement. "Aye. She looks to be a healthy young woman. I could get much use out of her. I am in need of extra help up keeping my inn, you see," the man continued.

Outside, Alis had made herself comfortable under a tree located near the door of the inn. The hourglass must have turned many times, or so it seemed to by the time everyone had finally returned. "'Tis good doin' business with you!" her father smiled in such a way she had never seen before. He smiled from pure joy, an emotion she was foreign to, and it scared her. "And always with you, sir!" the man replied. Arvel and Cledwyn raced each other from inside the inn to where Alis now stood. "We sold you!" "Yeah! WE sold you stupid girl!" Arvel and Cledwyn laughed, pushing Alis down one last time before they untied the horse and flew back into the wagon. Her ex-father and who was now her new "master" exchanged last words as the burly man returned to his wagon. The stranger pulled out a small linen pouch in which he carried the copper peices. The old farmer was glowing as the innkeeper emptied the contents of the bag into the palm of his hand. Now it was dark, too dark for Alis to see what was happening outside the glow from the Inn's lantern. She heard laughter from her "brothers"; she imagined how the boys would drool over the pieces in awe for a few moments, before their father snapped his whip. Alis watched them ride off, never to see again.

"Ah, what a beautiful night this is! Don't you agree?" Alis stared at this new man in the glow of the tavern lighting. He was staring into the deep violet sky, watching the brilliant twinkle of the heavens. "Don't you talk, girl?" He questioned as he turned and slowly walked in her direction. Terrified, she coiled into the tree for protection. As he neared her  
he whispered, "Abused I see. Don't worry; I'm not one to strike another human. What is your name, child?" he smiled charmingly, extending his warm hand in which she did not take. Alis was lost. She never knew such kindness! She was so confused she could hardly inform him as to something so simple as her name. "A-Alis. M-my name is Alis." she  
stuttered, slowly lifting herself from the dusty ground. His welcoming hand now at ease, he smiled at the shy girl. "Alis. That's a beautiful name for such a young lady! Come with me, Alis. I need to show you the room I had set up for you." Pausing, he examined her attire. "Tomorrow we'll go out to the city and find you a nice dress to wear." he smiled once more. "Yes, master." she muttered sheepishly. He tilted his head slightly, "Master? That's nonsense! The name's Trent Carew! Call me by my name as I would you."

He signaled her to follow him into the warmth of the inn. However, she would not follow. She lowered her head as he returned to where she stood. "What's wrong, Alis? Do you miss your family?" he questioned, lowering himself to her eye level. "No sir. They were nothing to me, sir. There is nothing wrong." she uttered, turning and lowering her head even more. Trent extended his hand, gently tilting her face up from under her chin. "Look at me." he commanded. When he saw her his heart sank." What's wrong?" She was crying; tears ran down her face. "N-Nothing is wrong, sir," she repeated, rubbing her eyes and obviously avoiding eye contact. "Nothing? Now, it can't be "nothing". Now, tell me why your tears fall!" he smiled. Glancing at him a few times, she found a smile worthy of trust. "Well..." she gulped "... sir, no one has ever been so kind to me. No one has been so kind as to talk to me like this," she admitted, drying her eyes with her arm. "Ah, then smile! You don't have to hide such feelings any longer, child." He chuckled to himself as he embraced her. This new man had just come into her life moments ago, and already he had done more than her "family" ever had. This man was kind; the first time in her life she felt such immense warmth within her. "Now, lets go inside. It's so chilly out here!" Trent exclaimed playfully. This time Alis followed him willingly, holding on her face a smile, a smile of true happiness.


End file.
